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my steps and penetration problems have subsided and been fixed.. ive tried new things and seen great results ..

no the problem thats staring me down is a mental battlefield.. i have no problem early on and through my entire vault when i come in and clear a couple heights.. but whenever i come near my PR i start to get sloppy, its not because im getting worn out because my conditioning has been fine.. but it feels like im putting pressure on myself or pysching myself out.. im trying simple fixes such as saying "the bar didnt move up same height as last time" kinda things or listening to music.. but no such luck.. does anyone have any pointers for me? or what have you guys done to push past a mental block?

ECvaulter30 wrote: ... it feels like im putting pressure on myself or pysching myself out.. im trying simple fixes such as saying "the bar didnt move up same height as last time" kinda things or listening to music.. but no such luck..

Even your thread title is pessimistic. Why assume that you're "fighting a losing game"?

I don't follow your logic about the part that I underlined. You know that the bar DID move up the same, so why deny this?

And LUCK has nothing to do with it. You need to take ACTION, and get yourself into a positive frame of mind.

I suggest a whole new approach ... starting well before you even arrive at the meet. Maybe even starting several days before the meet. You need a POSITIVE approach, like this ...

"I can't wait til that meet on Friday. My training is going so well ... I'm really going to have a great meet".

"In the meet on Friday, it's my opportunity to shine ... to break my PR."

"If I can get my plant up high, and JUMP off the ground on takeoff ... then swing long and fast ... I'm gonna really fly off the top of my pole".

Waking up, on the morning of the meet ... "I feel great this morning ... I'm gonna have a GREAT meet ... I can't wait!"

Arriving at the track ... "Nice tailwind ... the runway's in good shape ... big crowd ... great conditions for a PR!"

And as the bar goes higher and higher ... "The higher the bar goes, the more I'm going to improve my technique, the smoother I'm going to plant the pole, and the harder I'm going to jump off the ground. I've done it in practice ... I just have to jump the same way as the bar gets closer to my PR. If I do that ... and I will ... I'll PR again today."

You get the idea.

Kirk

Along with what Kirk said, you should try putting a bar up in practice, at or above your PR. Then in practice work on getting your technique right, not jumping for height over the bar. If you keep working on your technique while the bar is up, your improved technique will get you over the bar. Then by doing this in practice, you'll be able to incorporate it into a meet.